Gold for SYF today! I’m really happy at the results. After 3 months of hard work while juggling the long list of deadlines, it’s finally over. Actually, not quite. We still have to go back to school this Saturday to perform for the open house for primary school kids. Though the orchestra was really small compared to other schools (16 people), I’m glad we managed to rise above that limitation.

Just a brief summary since I don’t think I ever posted anything much about the SYF. We played the last movement of Dvorak’s serenade for strings, and Sibelius’s Cavantina. About a month before the SYF, we decided to play without a conductor. A week before it, we decided to play it without scores, and standing up in a unique formation. I honestly learnt a lot through this experience. Like getting used to watching others around me, responding to others playing, paying attention to the musical expression and technical stuff like how to achieve specific effects on the violin. It’s not that I didn’t manage to pick up anything the past year, but just through this SYF experience, I feel like I’ve grown up more as a musician. What’s music if we don’t let it speak?

Yesterday, I retook the quick study component for my diploma. I hope I manage to pass it this time.

Last but not least, I’m glad smss got a silver today. I remember being really disappointed almost exactly 2 years ago. Ah remember the days…

The most important lesson I learnt this week: get your relationship right with God before trying to get it right with man.

I’m slightly sick – woke up with a sore throat, sneezed and sniffed throughout the day, just short of a fever to top things off.

SYF is coming up in about 2 weeks and my violin exam a day before that. Hope I’ll get through this tiring month and term in one piece.

Today, I watched the video of the magician who (actually) beheaded his wife while doing the famous trick of sawing through 3 boxes with a women inside. It was just disgusting. I was too scared to watch the video without closing my eyes nearing the part when that guy was going to saw his wife. Argh. Why do people even risk such things.. To me, life is too precious to be laid before a deadly magic trick.

Finally, TOK presentation is over. I think it went quite well and I’m really satisfied with it. I did my presentation with xd and I have to say it was a really tough yet enjoyable journey, now that I look back at it. I didn’t start off intending to do pair work at first, but after considering after she asked me, I decided to give it a try. We started off from not knowing each other well, being in the same class, yet just mere acquaintances. But throughout the preparation, we got to know each other considerably better. All the blood, sweat and tears put into preparing it made this a really memorable experience for me. I didn't always look forward to all this stuff and now that the presentation is over, yes, I do feel relieved, but now I do miss it a bit.

Ah.. post-TOK presentation effects.

I need to get started on the rest of the stuff that I put on hold the past week, but I'm in holiday mood.